There’s a lot involved with being Kānohi ki te Kānohi, it’s about being physically present but even more than that, it’s about accountability, it’s about credibility, it’s about Mana. Being that seen face or kānohi kitea, when one returns back to their marae for a funeral, the whanau pani or the mourning family will always remember and recognise those faces that came to give their farewells. Now how is that recognised and acknowledged when people are doing it through facebook? I’m sure it is, but these are the sort of differences, I guess the nuances of kānohi ki te kānohi and social media. - Nā Acushla Dee o Carroll
Keyboard warrior or Kānohi ki te Kānohi? How do you maintain your links to your hapū, iwi, marae and whanau? In 2010 Acushla began her research for her PhD thesis about the impact social media placed upon Māori culture, she completed this work last year and graduated in May this year in her hometown of Taranaki.
Justine Murray asks a few Māori how they choose to keep their whanau links strong, and whether or not social media plays an important role.
